MANX ON THE UP!
THE Isle of Man is a piece of forgotten Britain. Those were the words of an elderly female coach tour passenger I talked to while travelling on the Manx Electric Railway (MER) in early April. She’s not wrong either.
Boasting a charm of its own, the people are friendly, it has a low crime rate and the scenery is stunning. The island even has its own breed of sheep and a solitary mountain. Home to three steam railways, two Victorian electric tramways and a horse tramway, not to mention a host of other attractions, the island, which measures 32 miles long by 14 miles wide, is reachable by air or sea. Ferries run from Liverpool, Heysham, Dublin and Belfast, while flights serve Manchester, Birmingham, Luton, Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Bristol, London City and Gatwick.
Thanks to its excellent public transport – which is all state-owned and operated – travelling around car-free can be done with the utmost ease. Helpful, easy-to-use paper guides and at-stop information supplement online details. Using a modern Volvo and Mercedes-Benz fleet, the bus network operates at turn up and go frequencies – and ticketing is integrated between the modes. It almost goes without saying that the island provides an excellent destination for a break – and if you’ve never been, you should certainly have it on your bucket list!
Now is a good a time as any – for the island appears to have a ‘buzz’ about it. Of particular interest to enthusiasts is that rolling stock is being brought back to life, some of it not having run for 40 plus years.
Therefore, it was time to speak to the man who has driven that turnaround in the railways’ fortunes, challenging systems and established practices to make the operation sustainable for the future, paving the way for much-needed investment – which in turn has helped passenger numbers grow.
Turnaround in fortunes
As director of transport services, Ian Longworth played a pivotal role in shaping the island’s public transport system over the last decade. Driving change is a never an easy task. He’s no ‘spotter’ but he maintains a keen interest in rail and road transport. In his own words: “I’m an enthusiastic professional – you have to be in this job because of its demands.”
In something which appears to mirror last issue’s ‘Face to Face’ interview with North Yorkshire Moors Railway general manager Chris Price, Ian has a pragmatic approach to the business – understanding the need to preserve heritage but in a sustainable manner.
I talked to Ian at Douglas station over a scrumptious cooked
